The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the conviction of actor Rajpal Yadav in seven cheque-bounce cases and sentenced him to three months of imprisonment. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma also directed Yadav to pay more than Rs 1 crore to the complainant in each case, with the condition that around Rs 2 crore already paid by the actor would be adjusted against the total amount.
Court Grants Two Months to Appeal
The court granted Yadav a two-month period to approach the appellate court against the decision. A detailed copy of the judgment is awaited. The proceedings stemmed from revision petitions filed by Yadav and his wife, challenging the 2019 decision of a sessions court that had upheld their conviction by a magisterial court in April 2018. The magisterial court had originally sentenced the actor to six months of imprisonment.
Previous Suspension of Sentence
In June 2024, the high court had temporarily suspended Yadav's conviction, subject to him adopting "sincere and genuine measures" to explore an amicable settlement with the opposite party. At that time, Yadav's counsel argued that the transaction was genuine and intended to finance a movie production, which ultimately bombed at the box office, causing Yadav huge financial losses. However, on February 2, the court asked Yadav to surrender on February 4, observing that he had repeatedly breached his undertakings to repay the amount. On February 16, the court suspended his sentence temporarily and permitted his release from jail after he deposited Rs 1.5 crore into the bank account of a complainant.
